Picture the scene: It’s the last week of term for 70 year 6 pupils, with a matter of days left in their school, and they come to a very hot church and are about to spend four hours exploring our new 'Pop Up Lifepath' event about Rev Martin Luther King junior
This term we worked with one of our local mission partners to create and trial a 'Lifepath day' around the life, faith and impact of Martin Luther King junior. We ran the day with year 6 pupils in Leyland, exploring the context around Rev King, how his faith inspired him to stand up for social justice, and how we can make a difference in our world today. It was important to show them that, although people like Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks stood up against injustice in their time, these issues still continue today. But that God has a heart for the excluded and we need people to stand up for others right now. The children engaged with some tough topics at this Lifepath and were really keen to take action on various issues in their school, community and world.
The life path of Martin Luther King junior
At the start of the day we had no idea how this scenario would play out. Would it be too hot? Would the subject matter be too serious? How would they respond? However, fast forward a few hours and we found an enthused volunteer team and excited children amazed at all that had gone on in the day. The four sessions on the life of Martin Luther King, his faith, his dream and his legacy had gone really well. The children learned about God’s heart for those on the margins of society, they had explored ways they can make a difference in the world and had learned some of the key issues that Martin Luther King had stood up for. They made placards, spent time in prayer spaces, eaten popcorn and watched videos! What a great day!